A hassle-free alternative to tubeless: Tannus combines Armour inserts with lightweight TPU inner tubes from Eclipse for better performance and easier assembly.
Tubeless wheel set-ups have taken the sports segment by storm – first with mountain bikes and now with road bikes as well. But this comes with some challenges for assemblers as well as for distributors and retailers. Tannus thinks it has a solution that offers all the advantages of tubeless set-ups without the hassle associated with this technology.
Lightweight TPU inner tubes are at the core of this solution, keeping the air pressure more reliably over a longer period of time. As they do not require the use of sealant, they help to save weight compared with tubeless set-ups. Tannus claims that the solution offers the same benefits in terms of flat-protection and ride quality.
The solution that Tannus is offering is a combination of the company’s proven Armour inserts with a lightweight TPU inner tube from Eclipse – a pioneer in this area that now operates in cooperation with Tannus. While the inserts provide plenty of flat protection, the TPU innertube saves weight, improves the ride quality and is fully recyclable.
“Mounting our combination of an Armour insert and a TPU inner tube is much easier for assemblers than having to deal with sealant,” explains Stefan Anton, Senior Product Manager at Tannus. “Compared to a classic butyl innertube some extra care is needed when mounting the much thinner TPU units, but we think the benefits are worth it. While we mainly aim at mountain, road and gravel bikes, the solution makes a lot of sense for cargobikes as well.”